Ludowici hosts half rubber tournament

On March 31, The First Annual Krank It Up Half Rubber Tournament was held in Ludowici. The event, organized by Joe Dyson and Sean Tucker, was the first tournament on the 2007 half rubber schedule.Fifteen teams participated from Georgia and South Carolina.The tournament was an all-day affair, lasting from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.Elysium Graphics & Design provided food and T-shirts for the players. Victor Hayes from the Shellshockers team came all the way from Charleston, S.C. to compete. “I love half rubber, its better than it’s ever been and we play all the time,” he said.One of the hot issues in the tournament was where half rubber originated.“We all know it started in South Carolina, and folks can go to www.halfrubber.com to get all the information they want to know about it,” Hayes said.The Georgia teams were just as adamant about the game getting its start in Georgia.Ed Cook, who came down from Savannah, said he had been playing the game for 30 years. “Everyone knows it started in Savannah,” he said. “These boys from South Carolina know it too, they just don’t want to admit it.”For all the smack talk, in the end it was The Islanders, a team from Atlanta, who won the tournament. The runner up was the 4 Bullets, who rightfully so were from South Carolina.According to a tournament director Sean Tucker, everyone had a good time, and he wanted to thank all the players and sponsors. He looks forward to doing it again next year.A portion of the proceeds raised by the tournament will benefit the 2007 Long County Relay for Life.